Detectives in Bell Case, Four Others Face Internal Department Charges
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The three detectives acquitted of manslaughter and reckless endangerment in the shooting of Sean Bell are now facing a list of internal police department charges, including discharging their firearms outside of guidelines, police officials said yesterday. Four other members of the police department who did not face criminal charges will also have to defend themselves against internal charges, the officials said yesterday.
They include two officers who were not present at the actual shooting, but were responsible for collecting evidence at the crime scene afterwards.
Filed in April, the internal charges against the three detectives, Marc Cooper, Gescard Isnora, and Michael Oliver, mirror what they faced in criminal court. The firing outside of guidelines charges were filed yesterday. Officials called the action routine.
Mr. Isnora — the first to open fire against Bell, who was later found to be unarmed — will face an additional charge of “taking enforcement action while acting in an undercover capacity” even though other uniformed officers were present.
The ranking officer the night of the shooting, Lieutenant Gary Napoli, is facing a charge of “failing to supervise the operation.” The filing of the charges against the officers was first reported by the New York Post.
The Reverend Al Sharpton, a strident critic of the officers’ acquittal, said the internal charges weren’t enough. “I feel it is a step in the right direction,” Rev. Sharpton said, but added: “I strongly believe that the police commissioner should fire the officers in the Sean Bell case.”
The president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, Patrick Lynch, called the charges “regrettable.”
With the 18-month statute of limitations to file administrative charges approaching, the charges will act mostly as a placeholder until the U.S. attorney decides whether to bring civil rights charges against the officers in federal court.
After that, the police department can move forward with trials and possible disciplinary action against the officers.
